1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of carts for transporting ice. More specifically, the present invention discloses a portable ice cart having a hopper that can be easily elevated to a desired height and then tilted to a desired angle to permit ice to be conveniently removed from the hopper.
2. Statement of the Problem
Grocery stores frequently need to move large quantities of ice from a freezer or an ice-making machine located in a storage area to display cases located some distance away within the store. In addition, restaurants, cafeterias, and other institutional food servers often wish to move large quantities of ice from a kitchen or storage area to a buffet, salad bar, or serving table located some distance away. Various types of ice carts have long been used for this purpose.
One difficulty associated with using conventional ice carts arises from the lack of standardization in the height of various types of serving tables. Ice can be most easily transported from the ice cart to a serving table when the ice in the cart is at roughly the same elevation as the display case or serving table. Therefore, the elevation of the ice cart should be adjustable to accommodate the height of the display case or serving table.
Another difficulty arises from the height of the walls of most ice hoppers, which is necessary to provide large carrying capacity. As the ice is gradually emptied from the hopper, the walls of the hopper become an obstruction. The user must lift each remaining scoop of ice up and over the wall of the hopper before it can be deposited on the display case or serving table. This is largely wasted effort and runs a greater risk of spillage. The user should be able to adjustably tilt the ice hopper so that the edge of the hopper is roughly level with the edge of the display case or serving table, so that ice can be scooped directly from the hopper to the display case or serving table with minimal lifting.
A number of carts and containers have used in the past in a wide variety of other fields, including the following:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Clark 603,676 May 10, 1898 Aubrey 2,001,008 May 14, 1935 Ingham 2,903,219 Sep. 8, 1959 Bruer et al. 3,685,674 Aug. 22, 1972 Wagenblast et al. 3,756,442 Sept. 4, 1973 Zuber 3,863,985 Feb. 4, 1975 Schmook 4,561,822 Dec. 31, 1985 Jones 4,802,709 Feb. 7, 1989 Gunn 4,802,810 Feb. 7, 1989 ______________________________________
Zuber discloses an offal cart that includes both scissors linkages to raise the tray 59 and means to tip the tray, as depicted in FIG. 1. A hydraulic cylinder 43 driven by water pressure from an external source is used to raise the tray.
Gunn discloses an apparatus that also uses two scissors linkages 42 to raise a container 2, as shown most clearly in FIG. 6. The entire device pivots about a hinge 32 in response to force exerted by a number of piston/cylinder assemblies 34.
The patents to Bruer et al. and Wagenblast et al. disclose other examples using scissors linkages to elevate a container, but require the entire vehicle to be tipped in a manner similar to a wheelbarrow in order to unload the container. The patents to Jones, Schmook, Clark, Aubrey, and Ingham show various ways of tilting or rotating a container, but do not provide a means for elevating the container.
3. Solution to the Problem
None of the prior art references uncovered in the search show an ice cart that provides both means for adjustably elevating the hopper to match the height of the display case or serving table, and means for adjustably tilting the ice hopper.